A defining feature of any MMORPG is its dungeons and raids—set locations where groups of varying sizes progress through a (typically) structured path, overcoming increasingly difficult challenges before facing a final encounter—typically a boss—and claiming rewards upon victory.

Keeping with the general philosophy of our project, we aim to take the existing, relatively straightforward concept of dungeons and raids in MMOs and turn it into something with greater depth, engagement, and variety. By blending repeatable, learnable challenges that form the core of a raid or dungeon—ones that reward planning, coordination, and mastery—with peripheral dynamic elements and choice options, each run will offer far more diversity and have significantly broader ranges of decision trees that will shape the experience. Player choices, group composition, skill levels, and ongoing external events all would influence how a dungeon or raid unfolds.

Dungeons offer developers and designers flexibility and capability that isn’t always practical or achievable in the open world environments. Yet this potential seems to be continually underutilized in MMOs. We intend to expand beyond just linear combat approaches by incorporating traps, puzzles, secrets, alternative routes, and social options (although a direct, combat-centric path will always remain available). A skilled trap-handler might bypass a difficult engagement area via a perilous passage; a high intelligence character could solve a puzzle which floods a chamber and eliminates the enemies within; a charisma-focused player might negotiate safe passage with a mob leader through a section…

Similar such options and mechanics would function at the larger-scale raid levels, but in implementations more appropriate to the expanded group sizes: supporting things like the raid group splitting off into several smaller parties to complete individual, but dependent objectives within separate areas of the raid.

These types of alternatives, combined with difficulty selection options, independent stages increasing in challenge level, dynamic group size scaling, and external event-based modifiers, are just a few examples of the agency we intend to support.

The goal is to deliver adventures that are more tailored, scalable, adaptable, and responsive—to groups of different sizes, varieties, experience, playstyles, and time commitments—while still preserving the satisfaction of mastery through consistency and repetition that forms the heart of each encounter.

Dungeons aren’t isolated entities, they are affected by the state of the surrounding world. Regional control, invasions, faction movements, environmental conditions, and player-driven outcomes all shape how a dungeon presents itself at any given time.

Examples include:

• Invading forces spilling into a dungeon after seizing control of a surface zone

• Rival factions contesting sections of a dungeon simultaneously

• Refugees, deserters, or opportunists occupying specific areas

• Environmental changes such as flooding, collapse, or corruption

These influences do not overwrite the dungeon’s identity, but layer new pressures and opportunities atop it. A haunted temple remains undead-focused at its core, yet external forces may alter who else is present, what areas are contested, and which routes are viable.

Dungeon access is similarly contextual. Some entrances may be blocked, heavily guarded, or otherwise inaccessible due to world events, while alternative, less conspicuous entry points might remain available to a determined party.

Every dungeon is built around a fixed conceptual backbone that does not change between runs:

• Primary theme and atmosphere

• Central antagonistic forces

• Key bosses and major encounters

• Foundational layout and progression logic

This consistency enables learning, planning, and mastery—ensuring that repeat runs reward experience and coordination rather than rote memorization alone. Players are meant to recognize where they are, generally understand what kind of danger they face, and gradually build competence within that space over time.

While the core remains stable, many secondary elements are intentionally variable, creating uncertainty and variety without undermining mastery:

• Traps, puzzles and environmental mechanisms may change types, locations and activation/deactivation solutions

• Paths, doors or other access systems may adjust passable states from one run to the next

• Different mobs, champions, and bosses may appear through variable spawn systems

• Quest-driven or event-triggered encounters may unlock areas, alter routes or change objectives

• Keys, switches, and access mechanics may be found in different locations or acquired via different means

These variables may be bounded and contextual, or occur at random—but are designed to keep players attentive and adaptable while still preserving the core adventure and learnable, mastery-focused challenges each dungeon provides.

Dungeons are divided into independent stages or levels, each increasing in difficulty and commitment. Players are not required to fully clear all stages of a dungeon in a single run, and each stage is its own milestone achievement with dedicated rewards.

Groups may:

• Enter, complete a specific stage, and exit

• Bypass earlier stages if they possess the means (keys, secret paths, access knowledge)

• Target specific objectives, challenges or bosses based on goals and time constraints

This structure supports partial completion, targeted progression, and varied session lengths, while still allowing full clears for groups seeking maximum challenge and reward.

Alternative routes—puzzle-driven, stealth-oriented, or socially mediated—are common, with a direct combat path always available but not always optimal depending on group composition and skill levels.

Difficulty in dungeons is integrated naturally and intuitively, not selected through abstract menus.

Key factors include:

• Time of day (easier difficulties during daylight, harder difficulties at night)

• Depth or stage selection

• Active world conditions and regional threats

• Dungeon-specific modifiers tied to lore or events

• Dynamic adjustability based on party size

Higher difficulties increase not just more challenging foes or increased numbers of enemies, but mechanical complexity and environmental pressures—rewarding preparation, coordination, and experience.

Immersive flavor and lore are embedded directly into the dungeon environment and surrounding areas, encouraging players to discover context rather than receive exposition.

This includes:

• Journals, records and other historical texts characters may uncover

• Murals, echoes of past events and environmental storytelling

• Ambient and narrative cues offering useful lore, foreshadowing or direction

• Quest lines and story arcs that reveal history and events as they unfold

When parties experience repeated failure or prolonged stagnation, the dungeon may offer subtle guidance:

• Environmental cues drawing attention to overlooked objects or areas

• Narrative prompts indicating something unusual or important

• Visual hints suggesting alternative mechanics or approaches

These systems are adaptive and difficulty-scaled—becoming rarer, more ambiguous, or absent entirely at higher difficulties—designed to reduce frustration at lower difficulties without undermining challenge or discovery for those that want it.

Quests involving dungeons are typically part of a main line involving a particular dungeon, composed of longer chains and story arcs which take multiple runs to complete. These quests often require accessing different areas or engaging in special encounters that are only available if the party leader has the particular quest active. Completing the main quest line for a dungeon will usually also direct the character to several other dungeons of increased base difficulty through rumors, social introductions, or items obtained that relate to that dungeon such as keys, journals, etc., allowing for a natural progression in the game world without having to just go ‘search’ for the next appropriate challenge.

Advancement in stages is also dependent on the party leader having completed the previous stage(s) at least once—either as a party member or party leader.

Raids are not isolated instances divorced from the state of the game world. Access to them is earned—or forced open—through large-scale threats, military escalation, and entrenched enemy power. They often arise, or become accessible, as a direct consequence of incursions, campaigns, or sustained player action, and in some cases through prolonged failure to contain an expanding threat.

Some raids exist as fixed, lore-significant locations: ancient citadels, sealed subterranean prison complexes, fallen capitals, or monumental fortresses constructed to contain forces that could not be destroyed outright. These sites persist within the world, but are rarely openly accessible. Entry typically requires specific circumstances to be met—key events to be triggered, control of surrounding territory to be established, or long-term campaigns to succeed in pushing hostile forces back far enough to permit sustained access.

Other raids emerge dynamically when conditions demand it. An invading army may establish a fortified stronghold, a corrupted entity may gather sufficient power to anchor itself within the world, or a strategically vital region may collapse under sustained pressure. These raids are not discovered so much as they are created by the unfolding state of the world.

Once present, dynamically occurring raids exert pressure outward. Enemy patrols intensify, supply lines are severed, and environmental conditions may degrade as corruption, warfare, or instability spreads. Nearby dungeons, Spirit Stones, or Beneath access points may become heavily guarded, contested, or cut off entirely. If left unchallenged, these raids can escalate further—reinforcing their defenses, expanding their sphere of influence, or spawning secondary threats that destabilize additional zones and regions.

Fixed raids differ primarily in scale and execution rather than in philosophy. While their locations are known, access to them is typically limited and fragile. They are often the ultimate objectives of extended Campaigns, which require coordinated advances through hostile territory and the maintenance of supply lines and forward positions. Continued access to the raid depends on a campaign’s ability to hold ground long enough to sustain repeated incursions into the raid space itself.

Both fixed and dynamic raids operate within constrained windows of opportunity. Attempts are limited, and successful or failed assaults may trigger recovery or reinforcement periods during which the raid cannot be immediately re-engaged. Progression within a raid is divided into multiple self-contained stages, each unlocking over time as objectives are completed and control is established, reinforcing the sense that raids are ongoing, massive-scale events rather than single-session encounters.

Raids are intended to be confronted through preparation and intelligence, not blind repetition or external guides. Information about raid threats is embedded within the world itself—through NPC reports, scouting missions, environmental signals, rumors, and unfolding events.

Players may gather intelligence in advance, disrupt enemy logistics, sabotage defenses, or secure advantages that meaningfully alter raid conditions before the first engagement begins. Choices made prior to entering a raid can influence encounter order, enemy composition, available routes, and overall difficulty.

Lore is revealed organically through these preparations and the raid itself, providing context for the threat being faced without resorting to detached exposition. Mastery comes not from memorizing fixed scripts, but from understanding the nature of the enemy, the environment, and the strategic situation surrounding the raid.

Raids are designed to reward those who treat them as conflicts to be understood and prepared for—not puzzles to be solved once and repeated endlessly.

Raids are structured as expansive, multi-front spaces designed to support large player counts, complex objectives, and sustained coordination over extended periods. Rather than linear paths, raid environments often feature branching wings, vertical spaces, and parallel battlefronts that require groups to divide, communicate, and synchronize actions across multiple locations.

Raid groups are expected to operate as an organized series of forces rather than a single unit. Sub-groups may be tasked with independent but interdependent objectives—assaulting key targets, holding defensive positions, disrupting enemy reinforcements, managing siege equipment, or securing strategic control points. Success in one area may unlock progress elsewhere, while failure can cascade across the raid space.

Roles within raids extend beyond combat performance alone. Leadership, logistics, battlefield awareness, and adaptability become critical factors. Different sub-groups may have access to different information, encounter distinct mechanics, or face unique pressures, requiring coordination not just of actions, but of knowledge and timing.

Raids are designed to test a group’s ability to function as a coordinated organization under pressure, not merely its capacity to execute predefined rotations or scripts.

Difficulty in raids is not confined to individual encounters—it escalates across time, space, and commitment. As raids progress, players face increasing mechanical complexity, overlapping threats, resource attrition, and mounting pressure that cannot be trivially reset.

Failure is persistent. Enemy forces may reinforce positions, adapt tactics, or launch counter-offensives that alter future attempts. Lost objectives may remain lost until reclaimed, and prolonged failure can result in permanent shifts in access, regional control or narrative states.

Unlike dungeons, raids do not support unlimited repetition without consequence. Checkpoints and progression states are tied to the evolving world rather than static instance resets. While partial success is possible—and often expected—reckless or poorly coordinated assaults can worsen conditions rather than improve them.

Raids reward preparation, patience, and sustained effort, while punishing complacency and brute-force repetition.

Raid rewards reflect both the scale of effort required and the magnitude of their impact. Players may earn powerful gear, reputation, unique abilities, crafting recipes and components, or long-term progression benefits that cannot be obtained elsewhere. These rewards are meaningful not only for individual characters, but for groups and factions seeking strategic advantage.

Beyond personal advancement, raid outcomes produce systemic effects. Successful raids may stabilize regions, unlock new dungeons or events, weaken enemy influence, or alter faction power balances. Failure may do the opposite—closing off content, empowering hostile forces, or reshaping the world in ways that affect all players, not just those who participated.

Raid progression is therefore not measured solely in loot acquired, but in consequences realized. Each raid represents a turning point whose resolution echoes outward through the game world.

In the myths and fractured histories of the world, The Beneath is known as the former heart of Dwarven civilization at it’s pinnacle—an immense subterranean realm that housed wonders rivaling those of the venerable Elven race that was spread across the world above. As threats grew, both Dwarves and Elves are said to have hidden their most powerful knowledge, relics, and artifacts deep below, sealing them within vaults, sanctuaries, and living preserves to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands and safeguard them for generations to come.

Elven accounts speak of vast magic-infused cavern forests grown under enchanted skies, fed by underground rivers and sustained as potential refuges for their race should the surface fall. Dwarven records tell of monumental vaults, sealed for eternity with divine magics, meant to protect against all threats—or keep them in.

What followed is unknown.

Some claim the Dwarves delved recklessly into forbidden depths. Others insist the Elves attempted to wield magics beyond their understanding. Still others blame the spread of dark sorcery among early human civilizations that dotted the surface, or the intrusion of external forces that shattered ancient seals and breached Dwarven chamber and Elven haven alike. Various groups and faction carry their own version of events, but none can be fully certain.

What is certain is that something awakened—or escaped—and corruption began to spread upward through the depths. As the corruption intensified, ancient defenses failed, vaults were breached or blocked, and entire subterranean domains were lost. Both Dwarves and Elves were driven back to the surface, abandoning not only their homes and groves but their most precious and powerful possessions.

Today, speculation continues about the why and the how, but all that is known for certain is the corrupting evil exists—a presence whose influence seeps outward as seals erode, pressure builds, and intrusions continue.

Corruption within The Beneath is not environmental, moral, or symbolic—it is an actively malignant force. It warps form, instinct, memory, and loyalty, bending all who linger too long into extensions of the will that emanates from the depths.

No being is immune. Creatures of every origin—be they noble, monstrous, or already steeped in darkness—inevitably succumb. Even entities once aligned with surface factions, or pursuing their own agendas, are eventually stripped of identity and transformed into hostile denizens of The Beneath.

Pockets of resistance do exist. Ancient temples, shrines, forest groves, and other sanctuaries can repel corruption—for a time. These rare zones of respite are typically where player groups encounter neutral or friendly NPCs and vendors, rival adventuring parties, or other hostile forces not yet corrupted but seeking the riches and power of The Beneath. Such locations often serve as extraction points, temporary camps, or fragile footholds.

Access to The Beneath is largely controlled by several powerful Dwarven and Elven organizations with significant influence across the nations. These factions regulate entry, issue containment equipment, and claim authority over recovered artifacts.

Constant objectives within The Beneath include the retrieval of several types of artifacts on behalf of the controlling factions:

• Dwarven Dweomers
• Ancient Relics
• Elven Soul-Scrolls

Special containment bags are issued to shield adventurers from accelerated corruption caused by proximity to the powerful artifacts and to reduce the attention such items draw from The Beneath’s corrupted denizens.

Recovered artifacts must typically be surrendered upon exit, with players compensated through reputation, cleansing of non-artifact items and equipment that were brought up, access privileges, and other rewards. However, shadow factions and rival powers may offer alternative arrangements—often at great risk.

Rarely, cleansing an object from corruption may also occur within The Beneath itself, allowing items and artifacts to potentially bypass official oversight—at the risk of consequences should the attempt be found out or the deception later discovered.

Each level within The Beneath is procedurally generated, but not abstract. Chambers, ruins, biomes, and inhabitants draw from a consistent mythic and historical foundation, giving even unfamiliar depths a sense of coherence and purpose.

Every descent may unfold across multiple unique depth levels, each composed of interconnected spaces featuring:

• Combat encounters and emergent threats
• Traps, environmental hazards, and structural instability
• Puzzles, secrets, and hidden traversal paths
• NPC encounters, rival factions, and opportunistic alliances

Players will have to prepare to contend with various other environmental factors as well such as fog, lack of ambient light, flooded areas, collapsed sections and more. Light sources, ability to dig around obstacles, water traversal options, climbing and jumping abilities and more will all factor into how a level plays out.

Rare depth layers may appear, such as sealed vaults, powerful crafting centers, rare resource rich nodes, lost sanctuaries, corrupted relic sites, or others, increasing in both probability of occurrence as well as value of contents the lower a party ventures.

Unlike World Dungeons, memorization offers little safety. Familiar mechanics may return, but their sequencing, constraints, and combinations shift constantly, forcing continuous adaptation.

The Beneath is intentionally unforgiving, with difficulty escalating vertically rather than laterally.

Deeper levels feature:

• Denser encounter pacing and/or more difficult mobs

• Overlapping mechanics that must be managed simultaneously

• Reduced clarity, visibility, and environmental guidance

• Increased frequency of elite, champion, and boss entities

As depth increases, information becomes scarcer, mistakes compound faster, and survival hinges as much on resource management and judgment as on combat proficiency.

Players cannot freely reset encounters or return to the same depth at will. Defeat may result in:

• Loss of progress for the current descent
• Abandonment of unsecured rewards
• Permanent loss of corrupted items carried within specialized containment bags

Dropped containment bags may be recovered by other players. PvP is permitted under certain conditions, meaning threats may come not only from corrupted denizens, but from rival expeditions pursuing the same objectives.

Commitment increases with depth. Early levels allow limited retreat; deeper layers demand calculated risk, preparation, and acceptance of loss.

Specialized scrolls, portal stones, and other extraction options allow:

• Strategic withdrawal
• Coordinated deep-level expeditions
• Long-term progression without repetitive traversal

These tools are valuable and finite, reinforcing meaningful decision-making rather than convenience.

Quests within The Beneath are not often fixed or lengthy chains—they mostly originate dynamically from both surface and subterranean sources:

• Surface factions may issue retrieval, reconnaissance, sabotage, or sealing objectives tied to known depths or rumored discoveries.
• Profession masters may issue special crafting and resource gathering quests completable only from within The Beneath such as accessing powerful relic-forges or mystical enchanting altars.
• NPCs encountered within The Beneath may generate a variety of situational quests—rescues, escorts, rival eliminations, or desperate bargains.

Quest Master systems dynamically insert objectives, NPCs, artifacts, and events into generated levels as needed, ensuring narrative relevance without repetition. Objectives may evolve mid-run as new information is uncovered, conditions worsen, or rival parties intervene. Completion is never guaranteed, and partial success or failure can still shape future opportunities.

While individual runs are generally impermanent, player progression is not—over time, players may:

• Unlock deeper starting points and access nodes.
• Gain knowledge, items and abilities that influence and affect future encounters or runs.
• Develop reputation with recurring NPC factions encountered both internally and externally, opening up numerous new opportunities for quests, rewards, access, skills and events.